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Chapter 5 We Should Keep Our Distance.

At that moment, Norman suddenly remembered something and snapped at Aurelia, "When your grandma took you away, she still had 10% of the shares. You've been living off those dividends for years, haven't you? It's pretty generous of me not to ask for that money back, and you still have the nerve to ask for the villa?"

When people got really mad, they tended to laugh. Aurelia chuckled. "How can you be so shameless? Do you remember who gave you the money to start your business? It was my mom. And what did you do with that money? You kept a mistress and had an illegitimate daughter! Everything you have was because of my mom. What right do you have to ask me for money?"

Aurelia brought up "the mistress" again in front of Maria, and this time Maria couldn't even keep her fake smile. "Aurelia, do you think your mom was something special? Norman was out working hard, and she was just at home cooking, mopping, and wiping tables. I can hire a maid for $5,000 to do all that, and she'd do it better than your mom!"

Aurelia's calm exterior hid a raging fury. "So you orchestrated a car accident to kill my mom, didn't you?"

Maria immediately panicked. "Don't talk nonsense. I didn't do anything. She was just unlucky and died early. What does that have to do with me?"

Aurelia suddenly stood up, looking down at Norman and Maria. "Maria, I will find out the truth about my mom's car accident sooner or later."

"She is your stepmother, and you dare to talk about her like that. If I hear you disrespecting Maria again, I won't be so polite with you." Norman also stood up.

"Great, I'd like to see how exactly you plan to be impolite." Aurelia didn't back down, glaring at Norman with contempt in her eyes, and said clearly, "Mistresses deserve to die."

As if afraid Norman wasn't angry enough, Aurelia added, "Your wife and your daughter are both mistresses. You two get out."

With that, Aurelia picked up the cup beside her and threw it at Norman's feet. The cup shattered instantly, the crisp sound of glass breaking echoing in the room, as if it was the long-suppressed emotions in Aurelia's heart finally exploding.

At this moment, Norman was like an enraged beast, his eyes flashing with anger. He mercilessly pinned Aurelia to the ground, her body hitting the floor heavily, pain instantly surging through her.

"How dare you talk to me like that." Norman's voice was full of threat, his hand landing hard on Aurelia's cheek, the intense pain making her feel dizzy, her ears ringing. "I raised you for 13 years, and you show no appreciation. You even have the audacity to insult me. You are indeed an ungracious bitch, just like your mother!"

Norman roared, his fist coming down again, mercilessly. Aurelia struggled desperately, but it was to no avail. His great strength left her utterly incapable of resisting.

The broken glass pieces scattered on the ground, their sharp edges glinting in the light. Aurelia's hand accidentally touched the shards, blood flowing down her fingers, staining the floor.

"I am Nathaniel's wife. How dare you hit me?" Aurelia shouted, even though she had already agreed to a divorce with Nathaniel. She hated herself for using his name, but no one else knew about the divorce yet.

At the mention of Nathaniel's name, Norman hesitated for a moment, but then his fist landed on Aurelia's face again. "So what if you're Nathaniel's wife? You're not the only one who could claim that title. You won't hold onto it for long. You'd better divorce him voluntarily, or you won't be so lucky next time. Just wait until Chelsea marries Nathaniel, then you'll see how I take you down."

The sound of Norman's beating couldn't be muffled by the door. When Betty discovered Aurelia being beaten in the living room, the floor was already stained red with blood. Overwhelmed with anger and urgency, Betty stormed out of the room and charged unhesitatingly towards Norman and Maria.

"Stop!" Betty rushed in front of Norman, blocking his descending fist. "Are you even human? How can you treat your own daughter like this?" Betty had truly reached her breaking point; she had never seen such a shameless and despicable father.

"This is none of your business," Norman responded coldly, trying to push Betty away to continue his assault on Aurelia.

"It is my business." Betty finally understood why Aurelia had never contacted her parents all these years, and why her parents had never shown up. Betty stood firmly by Aurelia's side, supporting her fragile body.

"She is not just your daughter, but also Mrs. Heilbronn. If you don't want to disappear from this world, leave now. You know the Heilbronn family has the power to do that. Both of you, get out now!" Betty said angrily, shielding Aurelia.

Norman's face turned grim, but facing Betty, he was helpless. After all, even if Aurelia didn't have Nathaniel's favor, she was still Nathaniel's legitimate wife and the Heilbronn family wouldn't stand by and watch Aurelia get hurt.

Norman reluctantly turned around, shouting, "We'll see about this."

Norman and Maria left the Bloom Villa in anger, while Betty squatted down to check Aurelia's injuries with concern. Her heart was filled with pain, tears welling up in her eyes, but she held them back.

"Mrs. Heilbronn, it's okay now. I'm here," Betty comforted softly, her warm hand gently stroking Aurelia's hair. "I'll take you to the hospital right now."

Aurelia didn't expect Norman to be so ruthless. Many years ago, when Norman kicked her and Amelia out of the house, Aurelia already knew she had no parents in this life.

Aurelia looked at her arm. There were some scratches, but the injuries weren't deep, merely appearing more severe than they actually were.

These minor injuries didn't really require a hospital visit, but Aurelia felt her head buzzing and a strong urge to vomit. Unsure whether it was indicative of a concussion, she deemed it wise to go to the hospital.

Betty called for an ambulance for Aurelia, and soon it arrived. Betty wanted to accompany Aurelia to the hospital, but Aurelia refused.

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